With Skip Schumaker ruled out for the NLCS due to a strained oblique muscle, the Cardinals are likely to rotate Theriot and Nick Punto at second base. Theriot, the better offensive option, gets the start in Game 1.

The Brewers will be looking for more production out of Weeks, who went 1-for-18 in Milwaukee’s NLDS defeat of the Diamondbacks. He remains in the heart of the lineup. Nyjer Morgan, for all his yapping, will open Game 1 on the bench because he struggles against left-handed pitchers. Gomez gets the start in center field.

Yesterday the Mets announced that lefty Jason Vargas sustained a non-displaced fracture of the hamate bone in his right hand as the result of a comebacker during a spring training start. This morning they announced that Vargas will have surgery, which should cause him to miss the first week or so of the season.

Vargas will have the surgery tomorrow. Given that it’s on his non-throwing hand, he won’t miss much time — just a week or so of action, with another few days to get back up to speed afterward. He actually threw a bullpen session this morning. The issue is that he can’t catch a ball right now.

Vargas, 35, signed a two-year, $16 million pact with the Mets last month. With him missing a couple of starts, the Mets should break camp with both Steven Matz and Zack Wheeler in the rotation. The two had been fighting for the final spot.